Blog of a long suffering Spurs fan. This is my occasionally obscure take on the ups and downs of life at the Lane.

Although dominating the ninety minutes of play, Tottenham were unable to come away from the Stadium of Light with all three points. I felt it was important for us not to lose this game on the back of the Liverpool result but after being in front twice, it’s a real shame we were unable to hang on for the win. These are definitely the type of match that Spurs need to be winning if a slightly ambitious push for the top four is to be realised, and we can only hope that all this talk of a takeover was not a contributory factor to the slight lack of concentration that cost us here. Jonathan Goldstein and the Cain Hoy Group’s interest could come to nothing but they would at least appear to possess the necessary financial clout.

Sunderland are the draw specialists thus far this season but there was certainly nothing boring about the match in Wearside. Two goals inside the first five minutes illustrated both sides desire and it was only a Harry Kane own goal which prevented us from coming back to North London with another victory. These things happen in football, but it’s an unfortunate twist of fate for a player who needs his confidence building rather than being knocked. I’m hoping that Harry will feature against Partizan Belgrade in midweek and get on the scores heet to quickly put this behind him.

Tottenham now have three very winnable games in succession, but only one of those are in the Premier League which is a home game against West Bromwich Albion. West Brom are yet to win and were soundly beaten at home by Everton today which indicates that we should have too much for them at White Hart Lane. The most interesting game of the three might well be the League Cup clash with the Stuart Pearce managed Nottingham Forest who are sure to arrive at the Lane in confident mood following some excellent performances in the Championship. You can see the odds at allpro for that particular clash.

I can’t say I’m not slightly disappointed by the draw with Sunderland but we have a point more than Arsenal and will be facing them at the end of the month. If we can go into that game off the back of a win over West Brom then I’d be hopefully that Poch and his men can go to the Emirates with a positive attitude and at least give a committed and passionate account.

Tottenham will be fighting on four fronts during their 2014/15 campaign with the Premier League, Europa League, League Cup and FA Cup all on the agenda for Mauricio Pochettino’s men. Daniel Levy appointed the Argentinian with a main objective of returning to the top four of the Premier League in mind. To me, that looks a very tall order as Tottenham’s last result against Liverpool clearly shows, they are still some way off the very best sides in the country. bet365 have put Spurs in at odds of 3/1 to finish in the top four this season but that does not appeal to me as a value bet at this stage. I realise that things could change once the top teams have Champions League fixtures to cope with, but it could be argued that Tottenham’s Europa League travels are going to be just as demanding.

At slightly bigger odds of 10/3, to win a major trophy is a more attractive bet as far as I’m concerned. Both the League and FA Cups, and to a lesser extent the Europa League, are within Tottenham’s capabilities given a bit of luck with draws and such like. I would imagine that Pochettino will be taking the Europa League extremely seriously, with the winners now receiving a spot in the following season’s Champions League. While there are a number of matches involved, it’s a very winnable competition for a team such as Tottenham. On paper at least, there are probably only a couple of sides taking part who have a squad to match Tottenham’s and as long as none of the real big guns drop out of the Champions league at an early stage, Spurs should have a solid chance of making the latter stages. Tottenham can also be backed at 16/1 to lift the trophy which isn’t the worst bet in the world.

I believe the realistic target for Tottenham Hotspur in the premier League this season is a top six finish, and the bookies clearly agree. bet365 make us odds on at 2/5 to end the campaign within the first six places in the league and given a bit of improvement throughout the season under Pochettino, that’s achievable. Finally, the top goalscorer market would appear to be very competitive with Costa, Falcao and Aguero just a few of the likely candidates for that honour. Tottenham’s best hope would appear to be Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor who can be backed at 33/1. However, Adebayor will likely be representing Togo at the African Cup of Nations which means he will miss a number of league games. I think he could have a small each way chance even with his international commitments, but nothing more.

Here is a round-up of the various Tottenham Specials available at bet365

Although Tottenham bossed possession during Sunday’s 3-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool, the home side never really looked like they were going to get anything from the match. One shot on target against Liverpool’s eight tells the story and a goal from Raheem Sterling after eight minutes quickly killed the feel good factor generated from the win over QPR just seven days previous. Two goals better than last year you might say but results such as this are still a reminder that Spurs are very likely to be fighting for 6th place in the Premier league and nothing more. Had Mario Balotelli been more clinical in front of goal, this result could have turned embarrassing, and Mauricio Pochettino now has two weeks to reenergise his troops for a tricky trip to Sunderland.

With Liverpool having come to White Hart Lane off the back of a disappointing result at Manchester City, I expected Brendan Rodgers to set them up not to lose and give this new Tottenham side plenty of respect. How wrong I was. Liverpool were very positive from the outset and gained reward with the early goal which meant that Tottenham had to chase the game, and were constantly vulnerable to their opponents rapid counter attacks. Spurs’ first four results under Pochettino were positive however and at least the new manager can draw on this when working with the players over the next couple of weeks between their international commitments.

The slightly depressing realisation for me following Sunday’s result was that Spurs are basically going to finish no better than sixth in the Premier League for the foreseeable future. Manchester United have spent a serious amount of money in the transfer window, and it’s very difficult to see them not forcing their way back into the top four this season with such an array of talent at Luis van Gaal’s disposal. Chelsea and Manchester City are shoe-ins and the Liverpool result illustrates that we are still a long way behind them also. Does this mean we are in a fight with Arsenal and Everton for 5th? I hate to say it but the Gunners squad looks good enough to secure 5th spot at worst. Realistically, 6th or even 7th is the likely finishing spot for Tottenham this season and it is going to be very difficult for us to improve on that anytime soon without massive investment, no matter who is manager. It is a long shot, but Spurs’ best chance of playing Champions League football again may well come via the Europa League, as winning that competition looks less challenging than breaking back into the Premier League’s elite.

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The rumour mill went into overdrive yesterday prior to Tottenham’s match against Sunderland, with manager Tim Sherwood apparently having been told that his services would not be required beyond the end of this season. The same rumour mill falsely told us that he knocked out a member of his squad last Sunday, but this particular story did appear to have more legs. All the major media outlets were reporting similar things and going on what was said or not said in his post-match interview last night, I can’t see Tim Sherwood being Tottenham boss come the start of our next campaign.

It was always going to be a gamble appointing Tim Sherwood but Daniel Levy was in a situation that I personally felt suited someone like Sherwood coming in. Most of the players would have had some kind of pre-existing relation with the new boss and while he had no first team Premier League managerial experience, he had been a part of the Spurs coaching staff for a number of years. When Sherwood took the helm, a top four finish was probably just out of our reach, and following the victory over Sunderland, we are in roughly the same position. It would need a minor miracle for Tottenham to finish ahead of both Arsenal and Everton and snatch fourth spot now, but stranger things have happened.

Whether the blame lies with AVB, Baldini or both, Tim Sherwood inherited a squad low on confidence and a defence which is nothing short of shambolic at times. There is no doubt he has made mistakes, but I think Sherwood has done a reasonably good job overall. Tottenham face a trip to West Brom this coming Saturday and those of you looking for a punt on the weekend’s footy can back Spurs at odds of 2.34, while the home side are on offer at 3.1. The draw can be backed at the 3.3 mark. I think that Spurs may well have to settle for a point at The Hawthornes with Pepe Mel’s side coming off the back of an excellent victory away at Norwich. They will be desperate to build on that result to try and ensure their Premier League survival. If Tottenham do fail to collect all three points however, I fear their slim Champions League hopes will be over.

The pick of the midweek fixtures is definitely the clash at White Hart Lane between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City. Spurs sit seven points behind title chasing City but a victory for Tim Sherwood’s men would see them close that gap to just four and be hot on the heels of the Premier League leaders. Since the arrival of Tim Sherwood as manager, Tottenham have been in terrific form in the league and should come into this game full of confidence. The same can be said of City, who have been scoring for fun, especially at the Etihad Stadium.

Looking at the soccer odds for this match, the bookies make Manchester City favourites at around the even money mark, Tottenham are generally an 11/4 chance as is the draw. Spurs haven’t been quite the same side at home in recent times. White Hart Lane has always been a fortress but there were some disappointing results at home this season, with defeats against West Ham, Newcastle and Liverpool sealing the end of Andre Villas-Boas’ tenure. Under the guidance of Tim Sherwood, I’m hopefully that results will continue to improve on home soil and it could be that Manchester City are in for a tougher time than the betting odds suggest.

As far as the team news is concerned, Spurs don’t have any fresh injury concerns but City could be without Alvaro Negredo who is suffering from a shoulder injury. Edin Dzeko looks set to deputise in attack alongside Sergio Aguero. Manuel Pellegrini’s side have won just once in their last ten trips to Tottenham and this is certainly a very positive stat for the home side. Spurs come into the game off a decent break having been knocked out the FA Cup at the first hurdle, and should be raring to go this Wednesday night. I fancy us to take at least a point here, and I would not be at all surprised if there are plenty of goals. I’ll go for a 3-3 thriller!

Under Tim Sherwood, Tottenham collected seven points from a possible nine during the month of December. Barring the 5-0 loss to Liverpool, Spurs had a very successful month, with that result being the club’s only defeat of the seven games that they were involved in. From a goal scoring perspective, no player really stood out, but there are a number of the squad that played very well throughout the month.

Our friends over at Scores.co.uk have chosen their team of the month which can be found below.

What do you think of their choices? Feel free to let us know in the comments section. Which Tottenham player or players performed well enough to deserve a spot in this team? Or, do you think that no one was good enough to be considered?

Tottenham have begun the month of January in excellent fashion with back to back victories in the Premier league so maybe we will see some Spurs players included next time around?!

This weekend will see an in-form Tottenham Hotspur side travel to Wales to take on Michael Laudrup’s Swansea City. The Swans are arguably a better team than their recent results suggest but they are in need of some Premier League points to put a bit of distance between themselves and the relegation zone. Things are really tight at the foot of the table and there are only six points separating Hull in tenth spot and Crystal Palace at the bottom. It will make for an exciting climax to the season, but could also cause a side to get sucked into the battle unexpectedly.

It’s also tight at the top of the Premier League, particularly amongst the clubs that look to be in a battle for the fourth and final Champions League spot. A lot could change between now and the end of the campaign, but it would appear that Liverpool, Everton, Tottenham and Man Utd going to be fighting for a European place rather than the title. Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal are beginning to draw clear of the chasing pack and I expect that trend to continue.

Considering an indifferent first half of the season for Spurs, the fact that they sit just eight points off top spot is pretty satisfying for me as a Tottenham fan. Although Tim Sherwood has seen his side get knocked out of both domestic cup competitions, they are unbeaten in the league thus far under his guidance. What may cost Tottenham when it comes to the Champions League places is their poor goal difference following a number of big defeats during the Andre Villas-Boas reign. Their last away game saw Spurs win at Old Trafford by two goals to one, a scoreline which Swansea also won by at Old Trafford in the FA Cup recently.

Spurs are favourites this weekend to continue their fine run of form under Tim Sherwood, according to sports bookmaker bwin. Tottenham can be backed at odds of 2.3, Swansea are priced at 3.1, while the draw is available at 3.2. While they are worthy favourites on recent form, I don’t think this will be a walkover for the away side and the draw looks the most likely result for me.

Tottenham travel to The Emirates this Saturday afternoon to face bitter rivals Arsenal in the 3rd round of the FA Cup. This match is certainly the pick of the round and as such has been moved to a 5:15pm kick off to accommodate the live coverage on itv. Most recently, the two sides met in the Premier League where the Gunners had home advantage and took the spoils by one goal to nil. It was quite a close encounter however and it will be interesting to see if the away side can put up an improved display under new manager Tim Sherwood.

Current Premier League leaders Arsenal come into this FA Cup tie off the back of a victory against Cardiff City in front of their home fans. Arsene Wenger’s side did make hard work of things and it was not until the 87th minute that substitute Nicklas Bendtner was able to break the deadlock with a right footed shot from close range. Arsenal sealed the victory with a Theo Walcott goal in injury time and maintained their position at the summit of the Premier League going into 2014. Although they have not looked particularly impressive in recent weeks, the Gunners have continued to get results and look to have a serious chance of winning their first trophy for several years during this campaign.

Since the arrival of Tim Sherwood as head coach of Tottenham Hotspur, things have definitely improved at White Hart Lane. The former youth coach has made a bright start to his top flight managerial career, with his Spurs side collecting ten points from a possible twelve. That haul included the excellent 2-1 victory over Manchester United on New Year’s Day. The Tottenham squad will definitely come into this match full of confidence and may well be able to claim a second famous win in the space of a week.

I’ll hold my hands up, Arsenal deserve credit for the football they have been playing and the results they have been producing during the current campaign. That being said, the Gunners do have an ever increasing injury list and the FA Cup is likely to be a fair way down their list of priorities this season. Tim Sherwood has begun brightly and could continue that run at the Emirates this Saturday. I see the draw as the most likely result, but Tottenham can be backed in the double chance market at odds of 19/20 with bet365, and I think that’s the best bet here. This means that if Tottenham win or draw the match, the bet will be a winning one!

As we all expected following yesterday’s humilating 5-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur have parted company with Andre Villas-Boas. I’m personally very disappointed that things have come to this but results at White Hart Lane have just not been good enough. Suitable replacements are already being suggested and bet365 have come up with a market on the next Tottenham manager, with some very interesting contenders.

Fabio Capello is already being backed to replace Andre Villas-Boas at White Hart Lane. bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth “Time will tell whether punters are putting two and two together and getting five at the sight of Capello at White Hart Lane on Sunday, but he’s proving very popular in the early stages of the race to replace AVB.”

I personally hate the idea of Capello at the helm, but he’d be the most obvious choice with the current set up at the club. Michael Laudrup or Guus Hiddink would be my preferred choices, with the pair on offer at odds of 5/1 and 7/1 respectively.